really enjoyed this one! Three women find out they all married the same man, after he passes away unexpectedly. They become friends and see out help from their husbands brother, the Duke! This book is a romance between Christian and his half brothers "first" wife. What transpires is a romantic, sweet, story. Cant wait to read more but this author. Hope we get books by the second and third wife next!

Some truly unfortunate, almost absurdly comical events set up this first in a new series. I loved the women’s independence theme, very “sisters are doin it for themselves,” but everyone was so nice, it wasn’t believable. No one is that good with seemingly no flaws. But I guess an argument can be made that romance novels are fairy tales, and that argument can strongly be made here. I’ll gladly read the rest of the series, but I wouldn’t mind a little more depth to the characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this fun & entertaining story that surrounds a deceased, polygamist Lord Meriwether Vareck. He married three women and left everyone worse for wear & they all meet at the solicitor's office for the reading of the will, not knowing the others exist. What could possibly go wrong? Add in Meriwether's older half-brother, Christian Arthur Thomas Vareck, the eighth Duke of Randford for some added tension.

Our heroine, Katherine "Kat" Greer Vareck, was the first wife, although it only took six hours of marriage before Meri left her. Oh, he wrote at first but then the letters stopped - six months ago she was notified of his death but all during this time she has been running her exquisite linen shop business - her goods are in high demand after society discovered she had married a duke's son.

Christian is a wonderful duke character - he is handsome, brooding, a war hero & honorable. His father had died when Christian first joined the army & the solicitor begged him to come home & take his place in title, but he refused. Now, he had no choice - if something would have happened to Christian, Meri would have inherited the title but now with Meri's death Christian must do his duty to the family & also think about marriage & an heir. Even worse, he is listening to the will being read & will have to settle all of Meri's gambling debts, deal with three wives & some unexpected provisions in the will.

There is an instant connection between Christian & Kat, but he can't fall for his half-brother's widow, or can he? I highly recommend this well-written, steamy romance with lovable characters that pull you into their lives. You will find an intelligent & strong lady, a kind & honorable duke, some mystery, drama & most importantly, a HEA. I received this ARC from Net Galley, I voluntarily read & reviewed this book; all thoughts & opinions are my own.

I so enjoyed this story. The writer did a twist in the story that I have never read before. Three wives for one husband. It was so much fun to read and many heart warming moments. Janna MacGregor is on my list of must read.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After her husband died, Katherine Greer, Lady Meriwether, is hoping that her brother-in-law, Christian, Duke of Randford, will return her dowry to her, and she can get on with her business at Greer's Emporium, and hopefully win the contract to outfit the bedchambers for the royal family. But, at the reading of the will, it's revealed that Katherine is not the only 'Lady Meriwether', and that Meri had in fact married three woman. As the 'official' wife, Katherine's life would be ruined if anyone found out the truth, so she takes the other wives, Constance (who's pregnant) and Beth (the sister of a Viscount) into her home, and hopes that with Christian, they'd be able to get to the bottom of it all, without the scandal breaking. However, Katherine is hiding an even bigger secret, and as she grows closer to Christian, it seems that her heart isn't the only thing she is risking losing.

I really liked this book. Recently, I'd read another series with a similar premise - scoundrel marries three woman, and then dies, and leaves the widows, and extended family/friends to pick up the pieces. The concept is definitely an intriguing one, and was really well done in this case. Katherine has been hiding the fact that she is the illegitimate daughter of a Yorkshire actress, and recreated herself as a lady, and owner of a popular linen emporium, catering to the tastes of rich society ladies, when she met Meriwether, the younger son of the previous Duke of Randford, and they had a whirlwind courtship. But when he leaves her on their wedding day, after the Breakfast, but before the wedding night, she deals with the abandonment, and is on track to being hired by the royal family. Now that she is widowed, she only cares about getting her paltry £200 dowry back, to help the business, and the added issue of the other wives isn't helping matters. I loved how Katherine and Christian interacted with each other. Admittedly, they didn't hit it off right away, but they soon had a grudging respect for each other, that blossomed into affection, and finally love. They had lots of hurdles to overcome, but I found how it was dealt with was perfect. Towards the end, there's a little bit of drama, and I couldn't see how it would be resolved, with our couple being able to be together, but it was resolved amazingly, and I can't wait for book 2, Rules of Engagement, which looks to be Constance's story.

I have been provided with a review copy of A Duke in Time from NetGalley for an impartial review. This is the first book in the brand-new The Widow Rules series and this was just a great way to start off a new series. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

This was interesting! A man dies and leaves behind...3 wives!!

And his half brother, the Duke, is left to fix the mess. And gets to know the first wife very well.

Katherine is great, strong and smart and a savy businesswoman. She hides a secret that could damage her reputation and what ground she gained in the world. How could the Duke not fall for her?

It’s sweet and just right really. And it makes me curious about the next books in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the arc of this book.

Will they be able to reach all their goals without loosing themselves on the way ...

It was with much anticipation that I read this morning the related novella and soon after this upcoming novel.
But at a time it seems there is a discrepancy in the dates between the prequel and the novel, like the six months in the heroine’s mourning period in the novella and which change to three in the novel, but also in the starred couple’s characters.

The main protagonists offer both a different facade to the world in the opening scene, Christian is presented a cold fish, upset at his late brother’s antics and profligate spending, while he had a charming and caring persona when he meets people in need in the novella. He even turns his back to his sibling’s widows, upset at being one more time caught in his brother’s games.
So used to his late half-sibling turpitudes, he can not imagine others could have been abused like it was his case. To him, who navigated in the same muddy water, deserved whatever they got.
Why the change of character was unexpected if I had not read the novella.

Same is to be said about Katherine, she appears as a sweet woman quite sad for her husband passing even if she was not in love with him. In some way, she also much appreciated that even out of the picture she could use his name, as respectable as it was. Still when she learns they are three sharing the same patronym, she could have been angry, furious. She is just upset, because for the business woman she is, it unsettles her plans and jeopardizes her work to gain a crown license for her linen bedding affair.
And after her companion convinces her to lend a hand to those women in dire circumstances, like hers, they simply begin a new friendship. No rant about the unfaithful fellow, nor jealousy, nor ire for having been cheated of their money and having their reputation ruined ...

So as they quickly reversed to their empathizing personality, their relationship swiftly move to one of attraction and chemistry. Each helping the other, all the while lusting after one another.
Theirs is a cute second chance romance with a very modern woman for her era and a very progressivist hero.

The big heroine’s secret is quite deceiving, why it is so easily resolved, when her circumstances as one of the wives of a polygamist is much more scandalous than her birth circumstances and her “tainted” past. Yet, it seems to upset Katherine less than her “shameful” history.

It is a story with many many leads to follow, between the three women, their future suitors, the late brother’s will and his game plus the many “deliveries” result of his investments, the heroine’s quest and the hero’s many plans.
A little messy with all those paths to follow, yet I am curious about the next two stories.
3.5 stars rounded up.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen detailed lovemaking scenes.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher St Martin’s Paperbacks, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Katherine found herself in an unbelievable situation. Her husband Meri, who had left her six hours after they were married is dead. At the lawyer's office, she finds out that Meri married two other women as well. To avoid a scandal, Katherine wants her husband's brother the duke to find a solution. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. Though I knew that the story would be like a fairy tale, I expect the main characters to be believable. I didn't connect with either Katherine or Christian. Others might find humor in the absurdity of the items that Meri had bought and left to his brother (i.e. tigers). This book was not for me.

3.5 Stars

In A Duke in Time, the first book in Janna MacGregor’s The Widow Rules series, readers meet Katherine, the newly-widowed Lady Meriwether, and Christian, Meri’s brooding brother and Duke of Randford, as they try to unravel the problems of the past and establish a future for themselves.

Katherine had a rough past: born a bastard to an unwed actress and wrongfully arrested for thievery, Kat thought she had finally reached a turning point when she married Lord Meriwether Vareck, the second son of a duke. But when Meri is killed, secrets start coming out. Secret debts. Secret scandals. Secret wives. Now Kat has to keep her own linen business going, deal with Meri’s two other wives, and keep her past hidden from prying eyes - all while falling head over heels for the Duke of Randford. It seems to be one problem after another for Kat and Christian. Their passion is undeniable, but Kat’s past might just ruin both of their chances of happiness.

I enjoyed the plot and characters in A Duke in Time. Kat was surprisingly independent for a regency-era heroine. She ran her own business, handled her own finances, and had her own home. Christian, too, was surprising. He started off as the quiet, brooding male, but quickly opened himself up to Kat. Usually in regency romances, it takes quite a bit of the story before the leading man admits to himself and others that he has feelings but Christian bucked that trend by showing more than just casual interest in Kat pretty early on.

A Duke in Time had plenty of conflict; trigamy, blackmail, and a secret past all haunt Kat throughout the plot. And Christian had his own issues, including family problems to forgive and a duchy to overhaul. Despite all the issues that Kat and Christian faced, MacGregor worked plenty of romance and spice into the story. The sexy scenes between the two had plenty of heat, but also included sexual acts that I don’t usually find in regency era romance. These scenes were unexpected, making them even more tantalizing.

The plot, however, isn’t without its issues. Christian didn’t even once question Kat’s lack of experience in the bedroom, despite her marriage to his brother. And Kat seemed fairly knowledgeable for someone who had no experience, especially for a woman in 1815 London. And while there was plenty of conflict for both Kat and Christian, none of it seemed to end up being a big deal for either one of them. Kat took Meri’s secrets in stride. She handled her business problems in a few paragraphs. She quickly laid her past’s ghosts to rest. Christian similarly minimized any potential for conflict. He had no issues with Kat’s past, and didn’t care that she had been accused of being a thief. There was a lot of potential for conflict in A Duke in Time, but it seemed to never amount to much. For me, all this potential for conflict seemed like just a tease. I would’ve liked to see these issues build up to something in Kat and Christian’s relationship and cause some fighting or angst or something. There was equal amounts romance and conflict in the story, but one didn’t amount to much in the overall plot. The overall story was good and included a lot of elements I don’t usually find in regency England, but I would have liked to see the conflict mean more for the characters.

I was utterly enchanted by Katherine and Christian from the first moment I met them. They were each so endearing, two charitable souls whose selfless ways improved the lot of everyone around them. There is scandal, there are scoundrels, but that is overshadowed by the passion, love, and devotion on every page. It was refreshing to read about a Duke that was not surly and cold; Christian exudes warmth and goodness despite the pain he has suffered in the past. Katherine is independent and pure of heart, fighting for dignity and acceptance. Katherine and Christian are a couple everyone will love, a pair that will warm your heart.

So Katherine finds out that her dead husband, who did even stay around long enough to consummate the marriage, had actually “married” two other women. So she and the other two women become friends when she offers them her house to stay in. Meanwhile, her husband’s step brother, Christian, has inherited a dukedom and has to figure out how to help clean up his brother’s mess while falling for Katherine.

What is interesting is that Katherine comes from a questionable background herself but has somehow risen up to operate a very successful linen business in London. She’s way too good to be true. And, of course, the questionable parts of her background are not her fault at all.

Christian is also a wonderful guy who has returned from fighting in the Napoleonic Wars determined to help former soldiers whom the country has abandoned. These are two determined and good-hearted people who are clearly meant for each other.

I would have liked more about how Katherine went from starving to building up this successful business. Usually, in Regency romances, there is a firm divide between the upper-class elites and the business class, but that doesn’t seem to be the problem worrying Katherine.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This was a romantic, heartwarming Regency story. I enjoyed seeing Kat and Christian slowly open up to each other. Each of them was wounded and careful due to sad childhood experiences. Both lost loving mothers as children and suffered shame and humiliation, but for very different reasons. This is the first in a new series and is made even more intriguing if you read the prequel, Where There’s a Will.

Katherine, Lady Meriwether Vareck, is blindsided not only by her husband’s unexpected death in a freak accident but by the revelation that he had two other wives. Her linen business is competing for a contract with the Prince Regent, and she cannot afford the blemish of scandal on her reputation.

Meri’s much more morally upright older half-brother, Christian, the Duke of Randford, is just as surprised as Katherine and unsure how to help. He’s made a point to avoid Meri and the rest of his dissolute family and has only recently returned from fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. Also problematic is the surely unallowable attraction he is soon fighting for his brother’s widow.

Katherine is busy with her business and the tight friendship she’s fast forming with Meri’s other wives, so her time is limited. Yet, she still can’t help but be drawn to Christian and when he asks for her help establishing a charity business for returning soldiers in need of work, she can’t refuse. The endeavor brings them into closer proximity and as feelings develop, they find they’ll need to share more details of their pasts if their hearts and their futures are to become entwined.

I liked this book but I wanted to love it so much more than I did and am left with some mixed feelings. Christian wound up being a rather charming cinnamon roll though his portrayal as more of an alpha-hole in the first chapters really didn’t fit this and threw off his characterization for me, not to mention reflecting poorly on Katherine’s judgment. Katherine didn’t really work for me as a heroine, especially for a historical. Put a cell phone in her hand and she could be a contemporary heroine, which I don’t necessarily mind, but when combined with the other things that bugged me about her, it was a bit hard to get past.

After how horribly Katherine misjudged Christian, their friendship and deeper relationship developed really quickly and yet I still somehow felt like the attraction between them was too much of a slow burn. I found Katherine’s secrets to be very anticlimactic, so minor as to be laughable really, given how easy they could’ve been overcome if she’d only asked for help rather than remaining so fixated on doing things on her own, a lesson she still didn’t seem to have really learned by the end. She came off as overly dramatic, enough so to grow tiresome for me.

Some of the plotting also felt a little slapdash with the reason for Meri marrying Katherine in the first place never really becoming clear and all his random bequests popping up, which were perhaps designed to be humorous but at times just interrupted the flow for me. My main gripe above all this, however, is the rapid development of this sisterly relationship between Katherine and the other two wives. There was none of the jealousy or strife there that there perhaps should’ve been, but this is a little expected since none of the women knew how deceitful Meri really was, so what doesn’t jive for me is the closeness that develops so quickly. I wound up more invested in whatever attraction was developing between Morgan and Willa than I was in Christian and Katherine.

The steamy scenes were satisfying, and the romance did eventually kick in very nicely nearer the end, though I still wanted Katherine to have more faith in Christian and confide in him more as a true partner. Sometimes I wondered what exactly he really saw in her as their attraction seemed very skewed on his side more so than hers and her reasons for keeping him at a distance were rather flimsy. There were also a few holes left unexplored in the plot regarding Katherine’s friend Helen and her attempts to matchmake Katherine with her brother, but perhaps this will crop up to be explored later in the series and wasn’t merely forgotten.

Overall, despite my mixed feelings, I do like this premise and look forward to the next installment from one of my favorite authors.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The reading of Kat's late husband's will unearths some unexpected secrets instead of returning her dowry. She needs the money to fill the contract of an upcoming Royal appointment opportunity. Her future is now uncertain and she hopes her past will not be revealed. As she works with Christian to figure out what happened, feelings emerge, but could it be a love match?

Christian has never felt like part of his family, but leaving the military commission to take over the dukedom in the wake of his brother's death leaves him with a lot of unexpected responsibilities in cleaning up his brother's estate. While planning a new endeavor for soldiers returning from the battlefront, he creates a partnership with Katherine. Unexpected feelings, as well as a duty to protect her, and others, makes him think of the future. There are a few obstacles to overcome, if it's not too late.

A wonderful romance with heart!

**I received an ARC from netgalley**

Kat marries to secure her business and raise her station in society. Unfortunately at the death of her husband, she finds that things were not as they appeared to be at the time of her marriage. There are surprises around the corner that complicates her life and future standing in society. During all of this, Kat meets Christian and finds an unexpected love. There is so much going on in this story that it makes for a great read and spinoff stories featuring characters in this book. I enjoyed the story as it is well written and entertaining. It also shows how quickly a persons standing in society could be ruined thru no fault of their own. This is a book worth reading and the next book sounds like it will be as interesting as this one.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

A good story, entertaining and well written. I loved Katherine, a strong MC, and rooted for her.
The characters are interesting, the romance is sweet and the historical background is vivid.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Janna MacGregor has put the ROMANCE back into historical romance. At a time when I wasn't reading much historical romance at all, I picked up a copy of her The Good The Bad And The Duke because I liked the cover and I wanted a Christmasy book.....and I fell in love with her world. A Duke In Time is her latest and is a pure, feel good romance. Katherine is intellegent, beautiful, sweet and kind and is trying to overcome her past. Christian, Duke of Randford is her late husband, Meri's, half brother. He's handsome but grumpy in the beginning and tries to fight his attraction for Katherine...after all she is Meri's widow...but is soon caught up with her beauty and kindness. Neither of them can ignore their feelings for each other and stolen kisses soon lead to much more. The chemistry between Katherine and Christian is hot!!! Janna MacGregor writes such beautiful, romantic and sensual love scenes...it's easy to lose oneself in them! BUT...there is an outside threat to their future, a competitor threatens to spread rumors about her past and ruin Christian's reputation. Katherine finds the strength to face her past head on and comes out stronger for it. I love this couple!!
A Duke In Time is the perfect first book for her new series. We are introduced to a marvelous cast of characters that I'm sure we will be seeing more of in future books....or at least I hope so! I'm ready for more!
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Historical romances are such fun, full of extremes of good and evil, dashing, dangerous men, beautiful, clever women, gorgeous dresses, breathtaking landscapes. In the hands of a skilled author they can present you with the most outlandish circumstances and make you believe them, feel them, and transport you to that time and place. Janna MacGregor is just such an author. If her past books are any predictor of what to expect, the new The Widow Rules series is going to be a wonderful escape.

A Duke in Time gets the series off to a marvelous start. When Kat learns of her husband’s death she also learns of his two other wives. Wait . . . what?? Kat learned very early in the marriage – very early – that he wasn’t going to prove to be good husband material. He left just six hours after the marriage and she hasn’t seen him since and has received only a few letters. But she had her own secrets and reasons for marrying him and intends to keep her place in society and run her textile business. If word gets out that her husband was a trigamist she’ll be ruined.

Meri was a scoundrel. Charming, but a selfish, deceitful spendthrift and gambler who married primarily to acquire the dowries of his wives. Meri’s brother Christian, the Duke of Randford, is as different from Meri as can be, and he has spent his entire adult life avoiding his good-for-nothing scandalous family. He is not at all pleased that his priority must now be to sort out the mess Meri has left: multiple wives, possessions, debts, and ridiculous bequests, like the tiger he left to the Duke. And not pleased that Kat keeps reminding him of that priority, of his duty. No, he’s not pleased, and he wants Kat to go away and leave him alone. Except that he doesn’t. He is drawn to her like no other and starts imagining the “what if’s” of a future he never thought possible. And he only has to look at her to know Kat is feeling this same strong, steamy attraction.

A Duke in Time is a delightful story. From the moment they meet, rocky as it may be, you know Kat and Christian are destined for each other. It’s just a matter of navigating through the wives, babies, businesses, enemies, secrets, debts, wild animals, old friends and unwanted family to find their happy ever after.

Janna MacGregor is so good at this. Once you start reading you can’t stop. You’ll sigh and flutter your eyelids and press your hand to your heart, and wish you could step into the pages and knock some sense into these two. A good plot, fascinating characters, some passion and heat, and some danger to keep it all interesting. A great read. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of A Duke in Time via NetGalley for my reading pleasure and honest review. I loved this book and can’t wait to see what The Widows are up to next. All opinions are my own.

I give our Heroine Katherine credit for her ability to forgive and forget her husband's betrayal but it is a bit farfetched. There is however, explanation for her attitude. I will say that the romance and friendships in this book are well written and simply the best. As an independent woman of business success in Regency England she is undoubtedly unique. Christian has his issues with his now deceased family but Katherine helps him to overcome. Katherine has so much to lose if her background is revealed but Christian is steadfast in his support. The other widows are introduced and each will get their own book with Constance's story being the next. I enjoyed this book and there is a thread that will run through each book, not quite a cliffhanger but an unanswered question.